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Soviet Log 25
Journey to Arachnopolis We resumed things in the subterranean city of K'Ny (sp?). After agreeing to help with their spider woes we were treated like heroes. We found out that the K'Nyans like to throw feasts so we joined them for a celebration of our heroics. There were speeches and a team beguile where we lauded ourselves and the K'Nyans. They seemed pretty impressed even if it was a little disconcerting having all those lizard eyes scrutinize us. Near the end of our three days of offtime (12 BLOCKS) we spoke with a K'Nyan that told us of the Overmind and how spider society is rigidly structured. We learned a bit more about the Overmind from the K'Nyan prisoner, too. Apparently, its some kind of super telepathic intelligence that has attached itself to the spider's mental network. It is influencing them to act differently. The prisoner's spider-bro was quite different under the influence of the Overmind last time she saw him. End result: the K'Nyans gave us a 'rod of anti-arachids' which were were supposed to activate within sight of the Overmind (who is Rock Claw spider type). The rod will sever the connection between the Overmind and the spider-network which should, in theory, free up the spiders to make their own choices and return the comfortable balance with the K'Nyans. There was a final feast with lots of mushroom-liquor. Katya took the opportunity to make a final toast and pointedly remind everyone that the K'Nyan's owed us 'big time' for helping them with the Spiders. A natural 20 Beguile seemed to drive the message home with the priests and elders. The next morning, after a little fuss with Katya needing to be able to see in the dark (the Augments had their own solutions) we gathered up the prisoner and descended into Spider land. Well, before we descended, there was another minor fuss when we realized that we'd be paddling via canoe on an underground river. Perhaps drawing on her recent recovery from Claustrophobia, Eva called us out for being pussies and we jumped in and got on with it. We travelled the river uneventfully and ultimately came to a shoreline in a large cavern. Everything had been pitch black since we left K'Ny so we had been relying on darkvision and other senses pretty heavily. Our guide, was super-helpful since she knew how to handle a boat but also knew her way around the area a bit. She led us to a small cave where we felt safe enough to hole up. Her plan was to travel alone to a drop point where she would leave a message for spider-bro and then wait to hear from him. Katya didn't like the idea of her going alone and was curious about the surrounding area so she accompanided the prisoner to the drop point. On the way, we were forced to hide as a spider patrol passed close by. Thankfully, our Stealth was strong and we made it to the drop point without trouble. There the prisoner flipped a special rock and said that we would now have to wait. Spider Types: Weavers - smart and nimble. Nasty with webbing. Rock Claw - huge, loud, and scary tough. Pincers - workers and low-level soldiers. Safely back in the small cave, we waited for spider-bro to make contact. It took 3 BLOCKS for him to respond which we -so patiently - spent productively. Katya learned Observation, Eva turned cave scrapings into targeting on Katya's knife, and Roq continued her theme of personal upgrades. The prisoner spoke with spider-bro, a Weaver, and returned with some news. She told us that spider-bro could temporarily block the Overmind's contact so he could speak to her without exposing us for a little while. The block was a bit tenuous, though so we had to stick to safe subjects (i.e. no 'how do we kill the Overmind?' questions). We found out a bit more about how the Overmind had been controlling the spiders to do his bidding. It all pretty much confirmed what we knew already. Our mission to sever the connection still seemed like the best course of action. After we'd finished with spider-bro, the prisoner told us that the Overmind had overcome the block and had found out where she was. We considered hiding in the cave or moving somewhere else. Ultimately, hiding in the water seemed like the best bet since the party's stealth was pretty poor once Eva's giant 'armor devoted to a single fricken cannon' was built. Mostly submerged by the shoreline, Katya kept watch and soon enough the spiders arrived. They seemed to be mostly gathered near the small cave that we vacated but one wandered down to the shoreline for a time. A natural 20 Stealth kept Katya hidden from view while keeping a close eye on spider movements for an opportunity to slip away. The moment arrived so we all quietly (Eva not so much) snuck around the spiders and moved deeper into their lands. It should be said at this point that the water hiding was only possible due to Enviroveil cast by the prisoner. Just as sneaking away was als greatly aided by Cloak of Obfuscation and Traceless Passing. She really was a very awesome guide. We crept deeper into spider land passed web traps and other signs of spider-kind. Through a combination of good good fortune, spells, clever pathing, and despite a bit of Acro-showboating up/down cliffs we arrived, still undetected, at an ancient and giant dwelling. Our best guess was that this ancient complex was a temple or maybe even the home of the K'Nyan elder god. The scale of things was truly giant and harkened to an ancient time that predated the Stone age. Remarkably, there were the remnants of ancient and colossal machinery that looked to have stood unused for the entirety recorded human history. Eventually, we ended up in a giant room with some choices for how to proceed. There was a staircase descending to the next level, a corridor heading south, and a massive doorway. After a bit of salvaging, Katya proposed heading deeper since she was nervous about the spiders but Eva proposed we investigate the doorway first. Her hunch proved good when she identified that it had stood closed for ages and the spiders had never gained entry. It was locked but nothing Katya couldn't handle so we pushed it open (with a bit of lubing for stealth and two hands since it was heavy). Beyond the door was an ancient room with decaying tapestries and chests. Jackpot! We searched the area thoroughly and uncovered some Elder Sign jewelry which was quickly distributed amongst the party. A little counter-tracking on the outside had us feeling confident so we quietly closed the door and began a 3-block sleep schedule with watch rotation. That's where we called it for the night. We figured we were about 30%-ish of the way to the Overmind. Rewards 11 Generic Points 1 Combat (avoided) Katya 4 Combat Points, 1 Bennie Category:Soviet